Automatic and manually operable safety shutoff valve

A seismic safety apparatus, comprising:

• a housing having an internal space and an external surface;
• a seismic safety activating mechanism inside said housing, said seismic safety activating mechanism comprising:
• an inertia ball recess located in said internal space of said housing,
• an inertial ball located inside said housing having an unactuated position on said inertia ball recess and an actuated position in which said inertia ball is displaced inside said housing from said unactuated position on said recess, said unactuated position being located generally above said actuated position, wherein said inertia ball recess is formed such that when said inertia ball is in said inertia ball recess, vibrations or seismic shocks of a predetermined magnitude can cause said inertia ball to move from said unactuated position to said actuated position due to the inertia of said inertial ball, and
• an engagement component inside said housing at said actuated position for engagement with said inertia ball when said inertia ball is displaced from said unactuated position;
• and
• means for moving said inertia ball between said actuated position and said unactuated position, said means including an attractive element for movement across said external surface between a first position at least about as high as said unactuated position of said inertia ball and a second position at least about as low as said actuated position of said inertia ball, and said means further including a groove on said external surface of said housing having said attractive element disposed therein, said groove extending between a first position corresponding to said actuated position and a second position corresponding to said unactuated position, and an operator mounted on said external surface of said housing for moving said attractive element in said groove.